A Fight Worth Fighting: A True African Story

By Bonginkosi Gama

At what point does one begin to pursue a dream? This question has preoccupied my mind for the past two years, and hence it has ignited the inspiration to write this book about my father, who, at the very tender age of fourteen, seemed to have known what he wanted to accomplish with his life. Themba Delani Jeremiah Gama was his full name. He was born in Kwa Mafahlwane, a rural village which is 30 km away from the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) small town called Newcastle (South Africa), on12 February 1942.

Throughout his life, he compared his life to that of Moses in the Holy Bible whose purpose was to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land (Canaan). Simply put, my fathers main mission in life was to deliver his family from poverty to a better life.

From his whole life, I learnt the following principles:

Focus on the end results.

Sacrifice is inevitable.

Share your dream with your partner.

Passionately work hard towards your dream.

Take responsibility for your actions.

Be honest in all your dealings.

Have faith to achieve your dream.

Patience is rewarded.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479728053

Bonginkosi Gama

Bonginkosi Gama is currently a risk manager in one of the big four banks in South Africa. He has worked in various audit roles in the manufacturing, healthcare  and in the aviation sectors and as a group financial accountant. He is an alumnus of several institutions in South Africa. His mission in life is to spread love by helping other people he comes across.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Bonginkosi Gama.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

0-800-644-6988

www.Xlibrispublishing.co.uk

[e-mail]

304800

Contents

1  Focus on the End Results

2  Sacrifice Is Inevitable

3  Share Your Dream With Your Partner

4  Passionately Work Hard Towards Your Dream

5 Take Responsibility for Your Actions

6 Be Honest in All Your Dealings

7 Have Faith to Achieve Your Dream

8 Conclusion

This book is dedicated to my father, whose life experience has encouraged me to write it, and also to all parents everywhere across the earth, who, against all odds and adversities, strive to do what’s best for their children. The overall message or theme of this book is to never give up regardless of the adversity because everything is possible as long as we remain in contact with the creator of the universe—our Lord God.

A Fight Worth Fighting is a starting point for anyone who wants to turn around his or her undesirable current situation, like poverty, in his or her life into accomplishing what is unimaginative and ultimately achieve fulfilled living.

All scriptures in this book have been quoted using the Holy Bible—New International Version.

To God be the glory!

Endorsement

‘If all what you desire for your family and future generations is nothing less than prosperity, then this book is a must read. It is a simple guide on how to create a strong foundation towards prosperity for your family and future generations.’

—Dr Mdu Gama

This book is written in honour and memory of my late father who passed on in December 1998 and as a thank-you gift to my parents, who against all odds, managed to raise us to be who we are today.

To the people who are most directly responsible for this book becoming a reality, including my wife, Nomusa, who is a pillar in my life—without her, I would not have been motivated.

To my brother Mdu who proofread this book to ensure that the facts are complete, accurate, and authentic—thank you for always keeping me on my toes ever since we were kids and for continuously being my benchmark in life.

To my mother, Ella Nompumelelo Gama, for telling me the story of how she and my father met until they decided to get married and for validating most of the facts in this book—thank you, Mama, for being so tolerant with me and for having our interest as kids at heart.

To Mr S. D. Mngomezulu. I thank you, big brother, for your role in the family, especially with assisting my brother (Mdu) to obtain entrance at the National University of Lesotho. Thank you for encouraging us as children to focus on education always.

To my colleagues Itumeleng Pheloane and Fundiswa Rarane for professional support and inspirational talks.

(This book is written by Bonginkosi Gama Ka Themba ka Absalom ka Zwebili ka Jijimeza, uMzwazwane, uMkholwa, uMlotshwa, uNzima, unhlangothi, ubhabha phezulu inyama yamakhosi.)

Introduction

At what point does one begin to pursue a dream? This question has preoccupied my mind for the past two years, and hence it has ignited the inspiration to write this book about my father, who, at the very tender age of fourteen, seemed to have known what he wanted to accomplish with his life. Themba Delani Jeremiah Gama was his full name. He was born in Kwa-Mafahlwane, a rural village which is 30 km away from the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) small town called Newcastle (South Africa), on12 February 1942.

Throughout his life, he compared his life to that of Moses in the Holy Bible whose purpose was to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land (Canaan). Simply put, my father’s main mission in life was to deliver his family from poverty to a better life.

From his whole life, I learnt the following principles:

•   Focus on the end results.

•   Sacrifice is inevitable.

•   Share your dream with your partner.

•   Passionately work hard towards your dream.

•   Take responsibility for your actions.

•   Be honest in all your dealings.

•   Have faith to achieve your dream.

•   Patience is rewarded.

1

Focus on the End Results

According to Stephen Covey in his book entitled Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he says effective people ‘begin with an end in mind’. This means that whatever your plans or aspirations are, in all your efforts, ensure that you keep on visualising the end results. Therefore, if you are determined to accomplish something in your life, you need to meditate on that vision/objective and always visualise it as if it has been achieved.

Believers define this state of mind